When hungry and attempting to pass yourself off as classy in Dallas, The Dash recommends dinner at Al Biernat's, a swank steak place that will serve you a
swell bottle of red wine with your red meat. But they won't serve you a bottle of OU Suks beer, which several Texas fans told The Dash is real and was for sale in
several locales leading into the Red River Rivalry. One reader passed along an e-mail of a purported label of the beer, which bills itself thusly: "Brewed south
of the Red River, to prevent impurities and single-branch family trees, this Texas beer has something Oklahomans can only wish for: distinctively smooth taste."
Them's fightin' words -- as if Oklahoma and Texas needed any more reasons to get mad at each other.
"This used to be a very swank, very large Italian restaurant, but along
came Al Biernat (Ber-NAY), who transformed the postmodern décor of
tiled pillars and fine table appointments into a very swank, very large steak
house. The place serves the best beef in Big D to a discerning, well-dressed
crowd that comes as much for the greeting from Mr. B as for the food. Highlights
include wonderful lobster risotto with pan-roasted sea bass, potato-crusted
grouper with grilled jumbo prawns, and a wine list of great depth."
"With its rosy glow, vaulted ceilings, and domed bar, Al Biernat's doesn't
look like your average chophouse. And it's not. Under the sharp eye of its
namesake owner-longtime manager of the local Palm steak house-Dallas power
brokers dine on impeccable American standards (at breathtaking prices), served
up by dry, doting waiters. Even the salads are exemplary, from an iceberg
wedge with blue cheese to shrimp and crab dressed in old-fashioned Louis style.
Mighty, dry-aged, bone-in strip steak; skin-on Copper River salmon, brushed
with olive oil and lemon; French fries like Dad used to make... proof, however
transient, that all is right with the world."
Athough
the restaurant is near Dallas' Highland Park, home to Hunts and Cheneys,
an oil fortune or a White House side-office is not required to secure
a steak at Al Biernat's.
"Peerless hospitality from owner Al Biernat and high-quality steaks and seafood
make this clubby spot a popular hangout for the mature, prosperous set. Our
creamy risotto, generously supplied with lobster chunks and topped with a
huge pan-roasted filet of sea bass, was superb."
"Most brides, aiming to squeeze into that fitted gown, endure self-imposed
diets in the days leading up to their weddings. Then again, most brides don't
have Angie Harmon's hummingbird metabolism. The week before her June 9 nuptials
with New York Giants football player Jason Sehorn, Harmon was spotted chowing
down at various restaurants in her hometown of Dallas. One day it was sushi.
The next, Tex-Mex. Then, two days before the ceremony, the former Law & Order actress
and her cousin popped into a local eatery to indulge in a slice of warm chocolate
cake. Al Biernat, the restaurant's owner, told me that when Harmon came in, 'she
said she felt like being very bad. She said, "Put an extra scoop of ice cream
on it!"
"It's a story that's just so Julio. Following a concert performance last week,
Julio Iglesias breezed into Al Biernat's, a ritzy Dallas eatery, accompanied
by "four of the most beautiful women I've ever seen," says the restaurant's owner
and namesake. When Biernat commented on Iglesias's good fortune, the 58-year-old
singer replied, "I always have beautiful women around me." He then requested
that the lights be dimmed throughout the house in favor of candlelight and asked
for "soft Latin music." Biernat played a CD by romantic Brazilian balladeer Roberto
Carlos, to which Iglesias serenaded his four companions---dancers and singers
from his show---to the delight of nearby diners. Upon finishing his meal, Iglesias
graciously thanked Biernat and left a $500 tip.
"Julio Iglesias giving the waiter and the chef a $500 tip on a $500 check
at Al Biernat's restaurant in Dallas., after the crooner sang Brazilian tunes
and feasted on surf and turf with four unidentified women."
"Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell having a late-night dinner at Al Biernat's
in Dallas with Dallas Stars hockey player Mike Modano."
Al managed the Dallas Palm for more than 20 years. Everybody knows and loves
him. His is a place to see and be seen--or not. It depends on what you're doing. "The
steaks and lobsters are huge and great." Hot Tip: Call ahead and introduce
yourself, Al will treat you like an old friend.
Loyalty to an old friend is one reason southwest Airlines Chairman Herb Kelleher
puts Al Biernat's at the top of his list of favorite restaurants. But tasty
steaks and seafood and warm service-not to mention the ability to sneak a
smoke at the table near the bar-bring him back every two or three weeks. "Al's
a great person, very hospitable. He doesn't think [customers] are a burden-not
like a United flight attendant," laughs Kelleher, whose low-fare airline is
famous for its friendly service.
Biernat's place has become something of a celebrity hangout, attracting the likes of football star Troy Aikman and singer Julio Iglesias. The owner graciously greets all his customers, famous and not so famous. He is especially fond of Kelleher, whom Biernat first met when he was a general manager of the Palm restaurant in Dallas. It was legendary entrepreneur Kelleher who encouraged him to start his own restaurant. Biernat has even hunted quail and deer on Kelleher's West Texas ranch. "He's successful, but he wants everyone around him to be successful," says Biernat, who opened his sunny-yellow, Mediterranean-style establishment in Dallas' Oak Lawn neighborhood in 1998.
On a recent day, Kelleher occupies his usual spot in a booth near the front. Ignoring the city's anti-smoking law, he puts an ashtray on the seat and sneaks some puffs of his Merit Ultima cigarettes. The only time he's interrupted is when a local anchorman stops by to say hello.
Kelleher starts his lunch with his usual Bloody Bull, a Bloody Mary with bouillon. Then it's on to a $6.95 cup of hearty tortilla soup, followed by peppered beef tenderloin with cognac glaze and garlic mashed potatoes for $18.95. He orders his tenderloin rare and jokes that even if he gets mad cow disease, "with my behavior, nobody will even know I have it." There's no low-carb dieting at Kelleher's table. For dessert, he gulps down the warm chocolate cake with molten center ($7.95). After thanking his waiters and kissing the hand of the hostess, Kelleher heads back to work.
"A lot of my customers come in and announce they're on the Atkins diet," says
Al Biernat, owner of Al Biernat's steakhouse in Dallas, Texas. "Add to
that the scientific evidence that red wine in now considered good for your
heart, and you find these guys are rewarding themselves with a steak and
a bottle of red wine. Our biggest seller is the fattiest, tastiest cut - a
rib eye and we sell a lot of our 25oz cowboy steaks."
It's embarrassing how many steak houses have opened in Texas, not because
they aren't top quality, but because they indicate a near breakdown of
sophisticated dining in the state. (In case you're ravenous for a great
steak, hit one of the independents, like Al Biernat's in Dallas, or Pappas
Bros. in Houston.) That said, I was very happy to find one Texas restaurant
that has broken the mold by setting a high, innovative culinary standard.
"Biernat is too proud a man to serve anything but the best."
Al Biernat, at his namesake restaurant in Dallas, says he has three levels
of hangover recovery. Level one is "Al's famous ramos". Level two is "amaretta,
you get betta," and level thee is Biernat's "y-bother." The victim is instructed
to "just roll over in bed, take three aspirins and hope for better days
ahead."
"The porterhouse is spectacular and the service is top-notch.
It was one of the best steaks I've had in a state with a reputation for
great steaks."
"It has been said that many deals have been brokered over Al's Salads
(shrimp, crab hearts of palm, and avocado with Russian dressing). The menu
is good and solid, with an Italian touch---everything from Chilean sea
bass to chicken Parmesan to cheeseburgers. And there is an unwritten rule:
What goes on at Al's stays at Al's."
Deep in the Heart of Texas
Mehr als Steaks und ausgewahlte Weine bei, Al's" in Dallas
"This Dallas institution is a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.
Faux faces peer from a dramatic ceiling mural by San Antonio artist Larry
Brooks. Linen-topped tables nestle amid stones columns and arches. Executive
chef Andres Bautista serves hand-selected, aged beef from Allen Brothers
of Chicago like the 24-ounce cowboy cut rib eye or the 28-ounce porterhouse.
Sommelier Todd Lincicome then chooses a selection from his 10,000 bottle
cellar. And Al? The ultimate host.
"Al serves his prime rib on the bone. I order mine medium rare. They soak it in au jus for an extra 5 minutes before it comes out of the kitchen." -Angie Harmon
